All products are barcoded in today’s market. Even the smallest retail items, like chocolates or pencils, have a unique barcode to accurately identify them. Barcodes have a specific symbology that is defined in the height and width of the bars, as well as in the space between the bars. Each of these bars can represent numeric data, alphanumeric data, or character data, depending on the type of symbology used by the user. Each barcode has a start bar and an end bar to allow the scanner to read the data accurately. Some barcodes have another slash before the final slash, known as a checksum slash. After the scanner calculates the sum, it is verified against the checksum barcode value to verify accuracy. This ensures an exact calculation with minimal errors.
Barcode software is used to design and print barcodes on labels. The user must specify the design and the software handles the entire printing process at a much faster rate. These software suites are accurate and print the labels with minimal waste in the process.
With all the extra facilities and utilities provided by barcode software suites, they are expensive. Not everyone can afford to buy this software. Small-scale manufacturers and retailers would find it difficult to invest in barcode printing software if their budget is limited.
Free barcode software programs are available online that can be downloaded or used online to design a barcode. This design can later be saved to the computer and printed as needed. The user needs to log in to the website and provide basic details related to the barcode, such as barcode symbology, barcode height, resolution, barcode density, and output format. Most websites are easy to use and the barcode application is extremely easy to understand.
Some websites allow the client to provide in-depth details, such as whether they want the checksum feature. This is for clients who have a deep understanding of their needs. Otherwise, customers can ask the website to generate a barcode that can be saved to their computer and used at a later stage. Since the websites are free, customers can log in at any time and request a barcode generation. The whole process would not take more than five minutes and it is very simple and easy to understand and use.